Gratuitous Space Battles

 PC
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. AtomicGamer
    85
    Gratuitous Space Battles isn't for everyone, as its brand of strategy is entirely weighted towards the setup phase - and the execution is almost completely hands-off. Still, the prospect of building your own ships and using your own unique combinations of general strategies and offensive and defensive loadouts is very compelling for anyone who is a sci-fi space battle enthusiast.
  2. PC Zone UK
    84
    A deeply satisfying game, beneath a humble facade. [May 2010, p.92]
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  3. Destructoid
    80
    In the end, for all its talk of being "gratuitous," Gratuitous Space Battles is actually quite a lean, mean game with a unique premise and singularly charming personality. If you're even marginally interested in seeing heavily armed tin cans tear each other a new hull breach with beam lasers and torpedo missiles, give it a try.
  5. GameShark
    75
    Still, the game retails at $20 and offers a far more satisfying level of capital ship space combat than any other game I've seen released over the last year.
  6. 9Lives
    74
    Gratuitous Space Battles is an interesting mix of puzzles and strategy. Action fans won’t find this interesting, but those tactical puzzling fans who love a steep learning curve will definitely enjoy this game. It’s quite expensive for an indie game, but luckily, there’s an extensive demo for those who want to make sure they buy the right thing.
  7. PC Gamer UK
    72
    Imperfect spaceship engineering and asynchronous online dueling combine to deliver a flawed star. [Dec 2009, p.94]
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  8. Eurogamer
    Dec 23, 2010
    70
    I do like Gratuitous Space Battles. I think it's a great concept, beautifully presented. I just wish it would let me like it more.
  9. Boomtown
    70
    Gratuitous Space Battles manages to strike a respectable balance between casual gaming and deep, engaging strategy.
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  10. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    70
    Managerial point of view to epic space battles. Good planning is necessary to enjoy this "Tower Defense" variation. [Issue#187]
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  11. AceGamez
    66
    It's definitely worth trying though, and you may very well find yourself hopelessly addicted. With thousands of online challenges, as well as a rampant moding scene, you'll be playing this for awhile.
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  12. PC PowerPlay
    60
    The type of player that will enjoy the gratuitous space battles might well be put off by al the number crunching and preparation involved in just getting an effective fleet together. [Feb 2010, p.63]
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Awards & Rankings

91
#91 Best PC Game of 2009
71
#71 Most Discussed PC Game of 2009

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 77 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 77
  2. Mixed: 28 out of 77
  3. Negative: 13 out of 77
  1. Dave
    Jan 19, 2010
    4
    This game could be very good if not for a few major flaws. The worst of which is that you can't tell anything about the fleet This game could be very good if not for a few major flaws. The worst of which is that you can't tell anything about the fleet you're going up against. In a game where the only decision you ever make is how to construct your own fleet, this is absolutely the most vital information you could have, and you don't have it. The best you can do is build ships you think *might* work, see if they do well or not, and then go back and revise based on your best guesses as to why they failed.… Full Review »
  2. cell-gfx
    Dec 26, 2011
    3
    Now I'll freely admit that I'm not massively into strategy games, but having picked this up in one of the recent indie bundles, I thought I'dNow I'll freely admit that I'm not massively into strategy games, but having picked this up in one of the recent indie bundles, I thought I'd give it a go. If ever there was a game that threw up barriers to introducing people to the strategy genre, this would be it. I get that strategy games are often complex, but when the tutorial involves reading screeds of text, going through numerous pages of options and ten minutes later, you finally get to see the battle take place? I'm sure the hardcore strategy nuts are frothing at the mouth reading this already, but from someone who wanted to see what all the fuss was about, I'll try and find a more accessible entry into the genre.… Full Review »
  3. ImmanualE
    Nov 19, 2009
    3
    Best thing i can say about this , it made me dig out & play my old Master of Orion 2 Copy,which has Space battles *and* Ship Design which is Best thing i can say about this , it made me dig out & play my old Master of Orion 2 Copy,which has Space battles *and* Ship Design which is far superior to this braindead (but pretty!) crap. Why i say this : 1.No Tactics are needed (*No* enemy AI) ,so the "strategy" always boils down to droppin one big ball of ships on one side of the battlefield and a cheap decoy on the other. 2. Design possibilities are pretty limited. First,all slots are assigned to one kind of item (weapons or Equipment). There is hardly ever a reason not to equip as many weapons as you can,and the weapons essentially only differ in being either antishield or antiarmor. The normal slots must usually be filled with the needed stuff (power stations,crew quarters,armor,shields,maybe 1 or more engines which dont make much difference in speed),which leaves even larger ships with few empty slots for specials. Ah yes,one can buy upgrades,which boils down to the same weapons firing a bit faster,the armor is a bit thicker,no game changers here. Then the game has no background story,no campaign,no immersion whatsoever. The Graphics are 2d but nice But this game gets very boring,very quickly. There is simply nothing to do,to experience or to control.… Full Review »
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